Star Crossed
by BananaMilkis
Summary: After her break up with Jace, Clary is left in a state of despair. Who better to get her mood up again than Raphael? Meetings that are chanced and on purpose, feelings bloom between two people of different backgrounds. Clary never thought that this certain vampire could be someone that she depended on. Raphael didn't know that the feeling would be mutual.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or the series. This is just for fun! I really like this pairing as well so I decided to write about them cause why not.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 1**

It was a messy break up. The ones where voices were raised higher and higher. Nasty words thrown at one another, each insult leaving a mark. It was an argument where neither side could make things better for their relationship. It was done. Over.

"Jace, I think it's best for us to just break up." The words were like acid on her tongue, making them harder to even say.

"Clary, it wasn't anything special! I just met up with her so we could hang out; is that a crime now? I can't hang out with a friend?" Jace ran his hand through his hair, clearly frustrated at the whole ordeal.

"I don't care if you hang out with her! What I care about is that my boyfriend is blowing me off every time I want to go out for his friend, which so happens to be a girl. We haven't had a proper date, no less a proper conversation with each other for weeks!"

It was true; every time Clary wanted to go out on a date, Jace was always busy training with his friend, or he was already out with that friend and didn't want to leave all of a sudden because Clary wanted to see him. However, it wasn't just that. What actually made her mad was how close they were. That girl, whoever she was, always stood close to Jace and was all touchy feely and Jace let her. Clary was never the jealous type and was fine with having Jace have friends who were girls, but to have them touch up on him as if he were single was a big problem; especially if he was okay with having someone else touch him with such affection.

"Jace, if you can't understand the reasons why I'm so upset right now, I don't think this can work out. I love you, I really do. But what you two have should continue without me having to worry about it all the time."

He didn't say anything to her; it seemed as if he were lost in his thoughts, trying to fits the puzzles together. However long that took, Clary turned her back to him and walked away.

The weather was none too kind to her as she wandered the streets. The night sky twinkled with tiny stars that glistened over the city. It wasn't the best to walk alone at night but the being Shadowhunter she was, glamour was something she lived for. It was much safer for her as well against those twice her size.

Clary had managed to walk to a random park with a playground, she didn't know where she was at but it didn't matter. Having been tired of her argument with Jace as well as having a bit of anxiety over the fact that she wasn't girlfriend material, Clary was about to split her head open. Ahead of her, she could see the outline of a swing-set. Walking over to it, she sat on one of the swings and let her feet dangle from the height.

The cold air bit her cheeks as it blew around her. Since she left the Institute quickly, she didn't really think about grabbing something warmer to wear than what she already had on. Even so, she stayed in place, swinging back and forth.

_Did I overreact? I could've just talked it out with him that accusing him like that… but then I would seem too clingy._ Thoughts swam in her head as she dropped it, deciding to focus on how her feet barely touched the ground.

"Don't you think it's too cold to be playing on a swing set?" The voiced caught Clary off guard as she whipped her head in the direction of it.

Out of everyone she thought it could be, she did not expect to see Raphael Santiago walking towards her.

"I'm not playing," she answered back.

"Really? How about wallowing in your sadness then? Does that fit the scene better," a small grin was plastered on his face as he stopped in front of her. Clary looked up to him, a scowl set on her face.

"What do you want." She stated out. Clary had a few run ins with Raphael before but never really had a conversation with him that didn't either end up having her almost killed or something related to Simon. She took in his profile as she waited for him to answer her. He was wearing all black, his t-shirt was tucked into his jeans and he wore a fitted leather jacket over it. Clary had to admit, he looked good; her artist eye envying how the dark color contrasted with his honey gold skin and tuft of dark brown hair.

"I just thought you could use some company. I was walking by and saw you by yourself," he took the swing next to her and sat down, his long legs displayed in front of him, "Also, it's not safe for someone like you to be alone at night. Who knows what types of danger could lurk around." Again he gave her a grin but this time the glint of his fangs were peeking through.

"I have glamour on so I'm pretty sure being mugged or kidnapped wouldn't be a problem. Plus, if anything happens to me, the Clave will find out in no time that their precious "hero" died all of a sudden." The words tumbled out her mouth before she could stop them. It was obvious of the distaste she had in those last few words and judging by the raised eyebrows on Raphael's face, he could tell too.

"I see someone doesn't like being the trophy child of the Nephilim race; I'm surprised you don't flaunt it around like a certain blonde." Clary looked down at the subtle reference of Jace. "Trouble in paradise?"

"It doesn't concern you, so I'd appreciate it if you don't ask about it." Clary ground out. She just wanted to clear all thoughts of Jace tonight but having Raphael being an asshole he was, she knew it wasn't going to work out so well.

"You know, I was wondering if you were going to notice him and that girl." Clary looked at him, confused. "Everyone knows," he quietly added.

"Am I that stupid to not have noticed any time soon?" She scoffed; _Wow, I'm fucking oblivious. _The fact that even though she felt uneasy about it, she had so much hope that their relationship wasn't like the one she had with Jace.

"I'm not saying _everyone _knows, more like us Downworlders know," Raphael tilted his head to the sky, giving Clary a great chance to see his jaw line and how amazing it was. Her fingers itched to draw it. _Focus, Clary. _

"He was never at the Institute; I knew he was out but too that point… I'm so embarrassed." She dropped her head again and clenched her eyes shut. It must've been humiliating to be watched by those who knew of Jace's antics with that girl but she didn't want to face it head on until it was too late.

"He's an asshole, that's what they do." Raphael commented.

"So I'm assuming you're one too?"

"Was it my good looks that gave it away?" A smirk this time was placed on his lips and she could see the playful glint in his dark eyes. It was always the good looking ones that were the shittiest types of human beings. Clary didn't say anything to him, she just gave out a sigh and continued to rock her self back and forth. "It'll get better, so don't waste your energy on someone like him."

"What are you? My therapist," Clary scoffed out. He gave her a small shrug and stood up.

"I'm just saying," was all he said and Clary could feel that he had his fair share of that situation one too many times for his liking. She heard the rustle of clothes as Raphael took off his jacket and quickly draped it over her. "Also, if you're gong to be depressed about it, wandering outside at night isn't the brightest ideas; not that I expected much from you."

"I don't need your jacket," Clary angrily said as she reached to tear off the jacket from her, but Raphael was already gone. "I don't need your help," Clary said in a small voice. And with that, she walked back home.

**Sorry if this was pretty bad, I hate writing first chapters tbh Hopefully it gets better soon **

**However, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this! **


	2. Chapter 2

Clary still had his jacket and it was a problem. When she had gotten home that night, her mother was in the kitchen; and to Clary's demise, she had noticed the leather jacket.

"How nice of Jace to lend you his jacket," the words were said so warmly, she wanted to cry. That was until Luke had walked out and stared at the jacket like it was silver itself. Before he could say anything, Clary made a beeline to her room and shut the door quickly. She didn't need her mom and Luke to ask about her relationship with Jace or where her leather jacket had come from, and by the look on Luke's face, he knew it wasn't Jace's jacket. Clary hoped he didn't know exactly _who _it really belonged to.

It's been a couple of days now and Clary didn't know what to do with it. It was just _there. _She had washed it to make sure it didn't smell as well as trying to get the courage to go the Dumort to hand the thing back to him. But you couldn't just straight up walk to the Dumort and deliver a jacket to Raphael; she didn't even know how to walk into the hotel other than the grate and Clary was definitely not going through there by herself, knowing there were vampires that could attack her at any moment.

She felt silly, it was just a jacket. Nothing less nothing more. A jacket... that belonged to the leader of the New York coven.

Clary sighed, frustrated. What was she scared of? She was returning something to someone else because she was nice enough to do so. Simple. _I can do it. Nothing to be afraid of_, She was getting hyped. She could do it, Clary was going straight to the Dumort tonight to return a fucking jacket.

* * *

"So tell me why I have to be here with you. Not trying to be a bad best friend here, but I'm not really on Raphael's good side right now." Clary had brought Simon with her. She had left her house once the sun had set to go to the hotel and return home. It sounded easy but clearly it wasn't because she had turned around to walk to Simon's house and dragged him on this mission with her. She felt a little more safe with Simon, not because he was comforting to be around but having the Mark of Cain plastered on his forehead was a great plus. Clary wasn't skilled in her fighting, hence why Simon accompanied her for if things went wrong.

"If things go bad, I know that we have a chance of getting out of there with no harm if your invincibility card is advertised like this," Clary said as she moved his hard so the mark was shown.

"As if things would go bad over a _jacket_, Clary." Simon scoffed at her as he gestured to the item clutched in her arms. Nothing else was said as they walked towards the hotel. Once reached, the looked around.

"Where are we supposed to go in?" Was she supposed to make an appointment or something?

"It's a hotel, there has to a door somewhere." Simon commented as he started to walk around the hotel to find some sort of entrance. Luckily they found a random door in the back way that probably led to the kitchen. "Do we just open it." Simon looked at the door as if someone was going to open it out of nowhere. She tried the handle and wasn't surprised when it didn't budge. "That's great."

Clary pulled out her stele and quickly drew her rune for opening, the door handle fell away from the door which made it easier to get inside.

"Don't you think they'll report us for breaking and entering? Also I could've just broke the door handle myself." Simon said as the two walked through the door into the darkness that awaited them.

"How else are we supposed to get in? I just need to return something, there's no harm actually being done. Plus, i opened it myself so it doesn't give them another reason to want to hate you, Lewis." He scoffed at her, but didn't say anything in return. Clary was glad that she had her night-vision rune on, or else she would've been bumping into every corner that was available. They managed to find the doors that led to the dining hall and looked around to see if anyone was present.

"We've finished the objective in entering the vampire nest, what's the next step, Fray?" She rolled her eyes at him.

"This isn't a video game, Simon."

"I have to find a way to lighten this mood somehow," he pouted to her and Clary couldn't help but laugh.

"You know, you two are pretty loud. it's a wonder no one else got to you two first," Clary jumped at the voice that rang out from behind her. There stood a petite Asian girl, almost the size of Clary, with her arms crossed. "What do you want."

"I wanted to give something to Raphael," Clary said, raising the jacket in her arms.

"All this to give that back?" the Asian girl raised a brow.

"That's what I'm saying," Simon sighed out, Clary glared at him.

"Come on, let's get this over with before the others find you." she said and turned her back to walk in the direction where Raphael was hopefully at.

"Aren't you like, mad at us? I would've thought you would fight us or kick us out?" Simon asked the girl as they walked up a set of stairs.

"What can I do? You have the Mark of Cain, I rather not try my luck with you Daylighter." she stated out. Clary vaguely remembered her back in Idris but couldn't figure out a name. She decided not to ask, it wasn't as if she was going to see the girl again.

It was so many set of stairs that Clary wanted to cry. Her legs were screaming at her to stop and rest but she didn't want to be left behind - it was a miracle that she could control her breathing. What felt like forever came to an end when the girl opened a door that led a hallway lined with doors. At the end of the hallway was a slightly larger door and Clary had no doubt that it belonged to Raphael. The girl walked up to the door and knocked. "Raphael, there's someone here for you."

It took a moment before the door opened, revealing Raphael. He had a scowl on his face, annoyed that he was interrupted doing whatever he was doing. he didn't spare her a glance.

"I'm busy," he said in a low tone. Yeah, he definitely was annoyed.

"It's the Morgenstern girl and the Daylighter." the said, gesturing to them. Raphael glanced over to them and Simon had the audacity to wave at the man.

"She can come in, Daylighter stays outside," Raphael said and walked away, leaving the door open. Clary looked at Simon and he just shrugged.

She walked through the door, and the Asian girl closed it behind her. Clary looked at her surroundings and was surprised to see how spacious the room was. There was a small kitchen in one corner, and an office area in another - that area was where Raphael was located. Clary slowly made her way to him, eyeing him as he read through a paper. She stopped in front of the desk, yet he still didn't look at her.

"Here." she held out the jacket to him. Raphael slowly looked from the paper to the jacket in her arms.

"Is that all you came here for? If so, you should've just kept it," he said and he went back to reading the paper.

"I don't need your jacket," Clary argued to him.

"It's not like I have more leather jackets."

"I don't need anyone questioning where I got this from," his eyes shifted back to hers, a glint of mischief in them - it made her uneasy.

"Where you got it from? Or who they think it's from? I'm assuming they think this is Jace's." Clary tensed at the mention of Jace. She didn't want to think of him, not now. And having Raphael mess with her made her temper flare.

"So what if that's the reason. Just take it back," she shoved the jacket on the desk, shifting the pile of papers that were settled there. A small chuckle escaped from Raphael. _You really think this is funny_, Clary thought as she started to turn away from him. However, she felt something tug her arm back and turn her to face Raphael again; his hand gripped her wrist and Clary looked at him. He towered over her, not like how Jace towered over her, but to the point where she had to move her head back to look at him.

"It's not a bad thing to let others know that it's mine; it can make others... jealous," Raphael cocked his head to the side as Clary burrowed her brows.

"What're you trying to say, you want to make Jace jealous of you?" it confused Clary, was he trying to help her?

"You can show him what he's missing," Raphael shrugged as he let her go and walked around the desk to lean against it. Even sitting back against the desk, she had to crane her neck a bit.

"I rather not, I don't want to have anything to do with you," She said and started to turn around to walk away again, but another grip on her arm made her tumble into his figure. Clary couldn't help but recognize the hardness of Raphael's body, how she could feel how strong he was as she put her hands on his chest to steady herself.

"I don't think it'll be that bad to associate yourself with me," He grinned at her, his fangs showing between his lips. "I can do things that Jace could never do." His words couldn't help but make her blush. Clary didn't know what to say, she was too flustered to say anything back. Raphael leaned his head down to her ear, "But that's only if you're willing, _hermosa_." She finally pushed away from him.

She put a hand to her chest, feeling the fast beat of her heart. The grin was still on his face - she wanted to punch that face.

"You know where I'm at if you change your mind," was all he said to her as he walked back to his seat and continued to reading.

Clary practically ran out of the room, running into Simon, the Asian girl nowhere to be found. Simon raised his eyebrows at her, noticing her flustered figure; at least it told Clary he wasn't listening to the conversation inside. "Don't ask." Clary said as she sped walked pass him and towards the stairs. She couldn't help but look back towards where Raphael was at, thinking about his words; Clary shook her head, it was ridiculous - there was no way she would take his words in consideration. Not now, not ever.

* * *

**I just want to let you guys know that this is placed after City of Glass, I just pretened that everything after didn't happen. Also forgive me if i got anything about the runes wrong or anything in general. It's been a while since I've read this serious but I hope you guys enjoyed!**


	3. Chapter 3

"So you came back." There was a tinge of amusement in the voice as she stared at the owner of it. A grin and fangs appeared and Clary wanted to face palm at her decision to come back to the Hotel Dumort to take up Raphael's offer. At first, she thought it was stupid of her to even think about the offer, Clary didn't want to have any more encounters with Raphael. However, one day when she went to the Institute to do her studies, she saw Jace and the girl together in the training room. Together. Laughing. Anger flared through her small body and her legs had speed walked all the way to Raphael. It seemed that Jace was still oblivious to why she broke up with him but just seeing him happy not long after their break up made Clary's blood rise in anger.

"You gave me an offer and I'm willing to take you up on it," Clary stated as she crossed her arms. They were in the same spot from last time they talked; Raphael sitting at his desk as Clary stood in front of it.

"Is blondie not showing any remorse," Raphael's voice was light as he said the words, like someone who knew what was going on. _But he doesn't._ Clary told herself. As much as Clary despised doing what she was about to do, she wanted Jace to feel upset in some sort of way, not just her. And if Raphael was the way to do it, then so be it. Clary couldn't think of anyone else to help her in this situation.

"You can say something like that," Clary said in a low voice, "I just want to make him jealous, that's all."

"Are you sure that's all you want?" Raphael had stood up to walk up to Clary, who had to tilt her head up a bit. His head was tilted as if he were curious for her answer but she knew he was messing with her.

"Yeah, I'm pretty positive that's all I want." Clary ground out, trying to be as sassy as she could, but it only made him chuckle at her. All of sudden, Clary barely made out Raphael's hands as he grabbed her and spun them around so Clary was against the desk and he had his arms on either side of her. The action made Clary panic a bit but once she saw the grin still plastered on his face, she glared at the man. "What was that for?"

"If we're going to do this, I think it would be a good for you to get used to me doing these sort of things."

"Things...?" Clary trailed off when she saw a mischievous glint in his eyes; his face started to draw closer to her and Clary froze. Everything started to feel constricted, it was like she was in an enclosed space where there was no way of escape. She understood how Raphael acted with her from their previous encounters, but this - this caught her off guard. "Don't you wanna know, _hermosa_." his voice was sultry, pleasing to the ear. Even so, Clary regained her conscious and quickly shoved him away from her.

He was laughing at her as she blushed; Clary was stupid. Stupid to think that this was a good idea, that getting with Raphael to make Jace jealous was the only way to do so. "If this is going to work, you gotta look a bit cute when you're embarrassed, not like you're going to glare through my nonexistent soul," Raphael commented once he was finished laughing at her. _Is he telling me what to do?_

"This wasn't a good idea, I can't believe I thought that being with _you _would be such a plan," Clary started to make her way to the door, regretting her decision fully. Before she could make it to the door, she was pushed against the wall and Raphael's face was close to her once again. She took a quick breath in, surprised at him.

"You want to teach an asshole his wrong doings than you have to be committed to this. To skin ship, to me making you blush like I did a bit ago, to me being close to you whenever I can get the chance. That's the only way for him to notice that you 'moved' on from him and for him to get the way you want him to get. And trust me when I say this, a guy will instantly get jealous when he sees his ex with someone else who makes you look like you're on cloud nine." Clary stared at Raphael wide eyed, he really wanted to help her, well that's what she gathered from his little speech but it seemed a bit personal as well.

"You seem to have a lot of knowledge over making an ex jealous," she said softly, not looking away from him. The corner of his mouth lifted up into a half grin, eyes glazed a bit as if he was remembering something from his past.

"You can say something like that," he repeated her words from earlier. Up close, Clary could see how dark his eyes were; they had seemed black the first time they had met but now she saw how warm of a color they were. She could see every detail of his face, her fingers twitching a bit from wanting to copt it all on paper. "Let this be a first lesson for you." Raphael leaned closer to Clary, if he were to still breath she would be able to feel his breath ghost over her cheek, but she didn't. She couldn't.

"Raphael," she started but stopped as his lips met the corner of her mouth. She felt her hands shake as she stayed still, trying to get used to him being so close to her. His hands moved to grasp her hands, guiding them to settle around his waist. "Don't worry, I won't do anything to you. Just get used to this." His voice was soft as she settled her arms around his waist; one of his hands skimmed the side of her face with such care, Clary almost believed that this was real. But it wasn't, it was just a play, a game basically. Her heart was beating fast, it almost felt like her heart was going to explode out of her chest - and she definitely knew that Raphael could hear it.

Clary close her eyes as Raphael leaned his forehead to hers and encircled her into his arms. It was a sweet gesture but it still did not fool Clary. "See, it isn't that hard, right?" She shook her head, it wasn't hard at all but it was still nerve-racking. _But if I'm going to prove Jace wrong then I gotta get used to it._

It was a while before he started to move away from her; untangling her arms around his waist as he stepped back. That same shit eating grin was back and Clary had to admit, it wasn't such a bad grin. "We should make out next time since we're past the touching thing."

Now she wanted to slap that grin from his face.

"I think you're more eager about this than I am," Clary said as she looked away from him. She saw him shrug in her peripheral vision, and then walk back to his desk.

"It gives me something to do; after this whole war ended it's gotten quite boring. This is just to pass time."

"Do you not have a life outside whatever you usually do?" Clary asked as she followed him back to his current spot. She knew Raphael worked with the Clave for political reasons but she didn't know what he worked on by himself. Of course, with the stacks of papers that appeared on the desk, it seemed that he was a hard working guy. "I work most of my time but when I do have time, I try to make the most of it."

"Make the most of it how?"

"Do you really want to know, _hermosa_? I think you'e a bit too young for me to say," Raphael smirked at her as she blushed.

Before she could say anything, Clary felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She quickly looked to see who it was and her heart dropped.

_Clary where are you? We have dinner with the Lightwoods in twenty minutes._

It was her mother, reminding her of this god awful dinner. Clary inwardly groaned, she had forgotten all about the damn dinner. She was going to make up an excuse on not going but knowing her mom, there was no way out of it.

"Something the matter?" Raphael's voice broke through, she had forgotten that she was with him.

"I have to go, I'm going to be late for a dinner."

"A dinner?"

"Yes, a dinner, with the Lightwoods," as she looked back at Raphael, there was something in his eyes that made her feel wary.

"So you're going to the Institute." it was said more to himself than to Clary; she watched as he walked through a doorway, she presumed that it was his bedroom, and came back out with a black leather jacket. Clary started to shake her head as he put the jacket around her. "This is the perfect timing for you to show me off."

"Yeah, to Jace, not everyone else." Clary wanted to rip the object from her form but Raphael placed his hands on her shoulders.

"What did I say earlier?" he sighed out as if he were impatient. She scowled at him at his attitude. "If others notice it, they'll ask. Once they ask, blondie's gonna be snooping around you. Got it?"

He waited for her to nod in understanding before he let go; then he grabbed her phone from her hand and began to type something in it. "Hey!"

"Here, my numbers in there, don't misuse it now." he said and walked back to his desk, getting back to work.

"What if I don't use it at all." Clary stated with confidence but one look from Raphael broke that wall.

"Oh, I _know_ you're going to use it, _hermosa_. Text me, send me nudes, you're going to utilize my number."

"I-I'm not going to send you nudes!" There was so much embarrassment as she said those words; never in her life had she ever heard someone say that to her. The look on Raphael's face was one of amusement as he messed with her.

"We'll see about that." Clary ran out of the room before anything else could be said.

_Over my dead body will you ever get a nude picture from me,_ Clary thought as she sprinted out the building to the Institute, Raphael's jacket keeping her warm on the way.

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed and thank you for those who are supporting me as I write this! I really ****appreciate it and hope I can live up to you guys' standards for this!**


	4. Chapter 4

Clary couldn't describe how nervous she was when she reached the Institute. She decided to portal there in order to make it on time, texting her mother that she would meet her and Luke at the Institute. _It's just a dinner, nothing to worry about_, Clary said to herself, working the nerve to enter. She was being overdramatic but Clary couldn't help it. The warm jacket that covered her small frame was dangerous. If her mother found out that her and Raphael were associated with each other in such a way, there's no telling what would happen to her. Even so, to see Jace's face when she walked in with it on was something she was curious about. Would he notice it? Would he ask her about where she got it from?

She was taken out of her thoughts when she felt her phone buzz; taking it out, she saw that her mother was asking where she was. Quickly sending a text back, Clary entered the Institute and rode the elevator up. As she walked towards the kitchen area, she heard the faint voices of her mother and Maryse.

"Clary, there you are!" her mother exclaimed when she spotted her. Maryse smiled at her as she approached the two older women. "We were just about to bring the food to the table. Go sit with the others," Jocelyn pushed Clary in the direction of the dining room and Clary hesitantly walked through the doorway. She saw Luke conversing with Robert quietly, yet Clary could tell how uncomfortable the two men were with each other. Across from them, the Lightwood children were seated next to one another.

It was Isabelle who noticed her first.

"Clary, come sit here," she said as she patted the seat next to her. She watched as Jace looked up at her, the smile that was on his face falling as his eyes met hers. Then they switched to the jacket around her. She quickly sat down, shrugging off the jacket.

"I heard about you and Jace. How are you feeling?" Isabelle said in a low voice, her dark eyes shining with concern.

"I'm doing fine. Do you know how Jace is?" Clary whispered back.

"I'm not really sure, to be honest. He looks like he's okay and happy but I don't know. But I'm sure he's upset like you are," Isabelle quickly reassured her. How Clary had hoped those words were true. "By the way, wasn't that jacket a little too big for you?"

"It's not mine." Clary was aware that Jace had picked up their conversation, seeing that he kept peeking over at them. Before anything else could be said, Jocelyn and Maryse came out with the food, setting it on the table before them.

As time went by, the dinner went by fast; it was mostly the adults talking and catching up while Clary and the Lightwood children conversed lightly. It was awkward but Clary had managed to survive the dinner. It was hard to dodge questions from her mother earlier in the dinner; she had managed to give vague answers when it came to her whereabouts earlier, not wanting to give out that she was with Raphael.

When they were starting to clean up, Clary had gathered Raphael's jacket in her arms when she felt someone come up from behind her. She turned and saw Jace, his eyes fixated on anywhere but her. "Jace..."

"Let's talk somewhere else," he said and Clary nodded. The two walked out of the dining room, finding a place quiet enough to talk. She didn't know what to say, Clary wasn't expecting him to approach her at all today but here they were. "I haven't seen you in a while. I was wondering where you were," Jace's voice cut through the silence and Clary could feel her heart speed up. _He was thinking about me. _

"I was kinda thinking the same with you, too," Clary said in a quiet voice. "How are you?" She wanted to drown herself for being so awkward. However, they haven't had a proper conversation since their argument and she hardly counted that as a conversation in general.

"I miss you." Clary looked at Jace, surprised at hearing the emotion in his voice as he said those words. "I think about you a lot but every time I want to text you, I still think you're mad at me."

"I have the right to be mad at you."

At the she heard Jace scoff; she turned her face to look at him. His jaw was set as if he was annoyed. "I don't see a reason for you to still be mad at me. There was a misunderstanding and you over exaggerated about it." It was Clary's turn to scoff at him. _Did he really just say that?_

"Are you telling me that I overreacted about you blowing me off for another girl?" Emerald eyes glared into golden ones, disbelief and anger radiating off hers. She thought Jace would have come to realize how she felt and apologize to work things out, but it was just another argument ready to explode.

"Clary, she's just a friend. There isn't any harm in that is there? You hang out with Simon all the time and I didn't accuse you of blowing me off for him."

"But I made time for you. I hung out with Simon but it's not like he was all over me like she is to you. I wanted to go out on dates, I wanted to talk to my _boyfriend _but I was never your first priority. It was that other girl because she was more important than your girlfriend. She clearly likes you, and you're just feeding into that, especially when we were together. So don't tell me that I overreacted." Clary's voice was firm and low. He really didn't see anything wrong with another girl wanting to be what Clary was to him.

"I haven't seen her in a long time, I wanted to hang out with her before she had to go back to Idris. I'm sorry that I couldn't be with you but I can't be with you all the time, Clary. I want my time and sometimes I just don't want to be around you." His words cut through her as he said them, anger seeping through them.

"You didn't want to be around me, so you went to her instead?"

"So what if I did." Defiance was all over his face, not coming to terms with what he had said.

"You would rather be around someone else than the person you love?" Clary's voice broke, her breaths were coming out in pants as her emotions hit her all at once. She could feel tears building up in her eyes as she stared at him. She watched as he processed the words, his eyes widening as he saw the sadness in her face. "Did you really love me?"

"Of course I love you," Jace started but Clary cut him off.

"No. You don't. If you're willing to be with someone else," Clary said, turning to walk away from him. She needed to leave, not wanting to be around Jace any longer. Shrugging on the jacket, she quickly walked away, however she wasn't fast enough when she felt him tug her back.

"Clary, where are you going?"

"Why does it matter to you?" her words were harsh as she spat them at him. Jace didn't say anything as he stared at her. Whatever he was dealing with, she could see them reflecting off his eyes as he was trying to find the right words to say. It took him a while before he responded to her, "Whose jacket is that."

"What?" the statement threw her off. Clary was so angry but now she was confused, it wasn't what she was expecting. Even so, this was her chance.

"The jacket. Whose is it."

"Why would you care who I got it from? I'm not your girlfriend anymore." Jace's eyes narrowed at her and his grip on her arm tightened.

"So you're already seeing someone else..." Clary saw jealousy flash across his face before he tamed his emotions again. "Even if I am, it doesn't concern you, so let go of me." He released her arm and stepped back, giving her the opportunity to walk away from him but it didn't stop him from asking again.

"Clary, where-."

"Why do you care all of a sudden! Because it's not you who I'm with now? It doesn't feel good does it, knowing that I'm with someone else," it was mean for her to rub salt in the wounds but she wanted to teach him a lesson, for him to go through what she did. When Jace didn't say anything, she shook her head and officially walked away from the conversation. The adrenaline ran through her veins, making her feel lively. It felt good to see him in that state but the pain that she felt in her heart didn't feel the same. It was a victory and a loss at the same time and Clary was not living for it.

Sending a text to her mother that she was going to Simon's, she quickly went to a secluded area not far from the Institute and drew a portal rune.

* * *

"Come on now, you don't have to cry over such a jerk." Simon patted Clary's back as she cried into his chest. Once Clary had landed in the neighborhood, she did not hesitate to barge into his house, to his room, and collapse on his bed to cry out the pent up emotions she had. She thought she was fine but hearing Jace admit that he would be with the girl than her hurt. A lot.

"He's such a hypocrite! Telling me that I was overthinking them but has the audacity to question me about who I'm with," Clary hiccuped as she reached for another tissue to wipe her face.

"At least you got him to be jealous, right. It was part of the plan," Simon commented as he grabbed the trash can so she could throw away her tissue. During her stay, she had filled in Simon about her plan with Raphael. He was skeptical at first but eventually came into terms with it. "Are you going to tell Raphael what happened?"

"Should I?" Even though Clary had not planned to use Raphael's number any time soon, she should update him right?

"If you're not up to it, you don't have to. Unless you want your trusty best friend to get the job done for you," Clary laughed lightly, knowing that Raphael wouldn't like that idea of Simon texting him.

"I'll do it, thanks though." She took her phone out, pulling Raphael's number up. Clary stared at it before she started typing.

*_Its Clary, just wanted to let you know the plan is working pretty well._*

"How does this sound?" She faced the screen towards Simon.

"It looks fine to me, unless you want to try to hit it off with him. If so, I got some crazy good pick up lines to try out, Fray."

"I don't think I would want to use them in general," she said back as she sent the message. Before she put her phone back up, the small print for 'read' had popped up under the text. Expecting for him to write something back, she looked at the screen but nothing never came.

"He left me on read."

There was a pause of silence before Simon said anything. "I already knew he was an asshole, but I didn't know he was _that _kind of asshole."

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**This is more of a filler chapter but I apologize if there are any typos, it's really late. I hope you guys enjoy his and hopefully I can update faster; school and work have not been kind T.T**


	5. Chapter 5

**First i want to apologize for my absence from this story. Last month was just a lot for me and with this whole virus pandemic my school schedule got all complicated and I'm unemployed for now but this gives me the opportunity to update more, so let's wish me luck for that! Second, thank you guys for reading this and reviewing, it really encourages me! ENJOY!**

* * *

It had been days since the dinner. Clary had barely left her bed, her recent argument with Jace still fresh in her mind as well as Raphael still hasn't contacted her in any way. She had miraculously convinced her mother to take a break from her studies and training for a while, claiming to not feel so good and her mother, being the best mother any girl could have, took sympathy with her and granted her break. As her days confined in her room, Clary couldn't help the bitter feeling that what she was doing was necessary, yet Raphael's words kept echoing in her head. It wasn't right for her to get treated the way Jace did, but did Jace not deserve it either. She groaned as a migraine came in.

"I should've studied ethics or something if it's gonna be like this," she muttered to herself. She stood up and left her room, _maybe water can help_. The house was quiet as Clary shuffled to the kitchen; Luke and her mother had gone to Idris for a meeting earlier for who know what, claiming to not be home till the next day. Clary had to admit, it was nice being alone, it gave her time to think and process things and -

"Enjoying yourself?"

She yelled in a combination of surprise and fear, turning towards the voice, Clary was met with those dark brown eyes that she wanted to draw so badly before. There, standing in front of her with that same shit eating grin, was Raphael. He tilted his head at her, waiting for her to say something but no words came out. She looked at him in awe, also she was shocked to the point where she couldn't move. What was he doing here? "Miss me, _hermosa?"_

"Did you just _break in_ to my house?!"

"I didn't break down your door or anything if that's what you're worried about," Raphael lightly replied as he grabbed a stool to sit himself upon. Clary was having a hard time understanding that Raphael was really in front of her right now. He was acting as if he was formally invited in, looking relaxed as he sat. It was pissing her off.

"You think a door is my concern? I didn't invite you in, did I?" Clary hissed as she walked towards him. Raphael scoffed, rolling his eyes as if she were the crazy one right now. _I'll show you crazy..._

"I thought you would want to see me," he said with another grin, his eyes meeting hers.

"You could've at least, I don't know, texted me or called or something."

"This _is _something."

The urge for violence was rising in her blood system, oh how she wanted to hit him so bad. Every encounter was the same feeling.

"How so?" she crossed her arms as she glared at the man. He took his time answering, looking around and taking his surroundings in slowly. "Would you like a house tour since you're so interested in looking around?" The words dripped with sarcasm, making Raphael turn back his attention on her. "I wouldn't want to be such a bad host." With that, he laughed.

"You are something else," he muttered to himself. "I thought showing up unannounced would be fun, given your reaction and such."

"Since you had your fun, you can leave," Clary said and turned her back on him.

"Now why would I do that?" His voice was close to her, arms barricading around her body and hands placed on the counter to keep her there. Clary was getting real annoyed; the stress and drama were catching up to her and she couldn't help but be so irritated. She turned her body to face towards him, and gave him a glare to make sure he understood she wasn't in a mood for his games. "Is someone in a bad mood."

"Move away from me right now."

Raphael cocked his head to the side, "Or what?"

"Raphael I'm not joking with you, get away from me," the hardness in Clary's voice was clear, startling her that she could do such a thing. However, Raphael did not move away from her. "I'm not gonna ask you again, Raphael -,"

Out of nowhere, Clary's face was pressed against his chest, Raphael's arms wrapping around her body.

"Wha- what're you..." Clary was at a loss of words, she didn't understand what was happening, why he was doing this?

"You shouldn't keep it in. It's okay to be upset," his voice was soft, quiet even; somehow the tone of his voice was calming her to the point she relaxed her body against his. "You must've heard things you didn't want to hear. It might fool others that you can convince them that you're fine but I know that look in your eyes."

She could feel her hands shake as he said the words, her breaths coming out faster. As much as she wanted to convince herself that she was upset, she wasn't. It was more than that, _so_ much more. In the course of weeks that had gone by after her break up with Jace, Clary's never felt so much anxiety in her life, she was literally depressed out her mind but she didn't want others to know; it would've added on more to what was going on and she wasn't about to do that. Clary couldn't put her hurt in words, it was just a horrendous, black hole of a feeling - how would anyone know what she was going through?

"I'm supposed to be helping you but look what I've done," his hands came to her face to lift them up towards his, the tears falling freely from her eyes, "You've bene going through it alone."

"He said he didn't love me." Clary blurted out quickly. "He-he said he did but he didn't want t-to be around me because of that girl and he basically sa-s-said I was annoying and couldn't be there for me and I hate it. I hate that he's making me feel this way. I h-hate that I can't stop thinking about it. I hate it so much! I can't take it. I want to hurt him, b-b-but I don't and I don't know what I need to do anymore. I-."

Raphael's arms tightened around her, a hand was placed on her head as it pushed her head to be placed under his chin. Clary could feel her heart beat faster; with the overwhelming sense of emotions and Raphael embracing her, she felt like she was dying. It was too much for her. "Clary, breathe. Focus on your breathing." She shut her eyes, trying to focus. In. Out. In. Out."That's it, there you go."

"What do I do." Clary's voice was small as she said her words, it was a cry for help. "Tell me what to do," she cried.

"I will but just let it all out for now," Raphael stated and the two stayed silent. Her crying and him comforting her.

Clary didn't know how long they were embraced for, but it didn't matter. She felt comfortable to be in someone's embrace, to feel someone was taking care of her in a way. It was nice and she didn't want it to end any time soon. But this was Raphael. He wasn't known to be such a softy or being the person that he was showing to her right now but they were basically strangers.

She wanted to get to know him. It was crazy but deep down, she wanted to know Raphael.

"Are you feeling a little better?" He asked her as he leaned back. Clary nodded and with that he let go of her, making her feel a bit sad from the loss.

"Thank you," she said shyly. There was a pause of silence. "Do you want to watch a movie?"

Raphael gave out a breathy laugh. "If that's what you want."

She walked back towards her bedroom with Raphael in tow, she was starting to feel awkward but once they reached her room, the awkwardness faded away.

"I didn't expect your room to be... dirty." She gave him a pointed look. Art supplies were spewed everywhere, canvases stacked in one corner of her room, and it was just a mess. An art mess.

"It's not dirty, it's just how it function in here with my art."

"Sure," he said and plopped down onto her bed. It amazed her how well he adapted to areas he's never been before, it was too casual for her. Clary grabbed her laptop and sat next to him. It was odd that she was going to watch a movie with Raphael.

After a small argument on what to watch, they had settled on an action movie. The two were propped up against the headboard as they watched but as the movie passed Clary couldn't concentrate on it. She wanted to ask Raphael why he agreed to this with her, why he was so obligated to helping her.

"You should pay attention or you'll get confused later," Raphael's voice took her out of her reverie, she turned to look at him to see he was watching her.

"Would it matter, I can rewatch it."

"I wouldn't like the idea of you not enjoying our little date." Clary's eyes widened.

"Date?"

"Did I stutter."

"This is not a date." A blush was starting to form on her face as she spoke to Raphael, who was composed. "We don't know each other for this to be considered a date."

"Then ask away." She must've looked really confused for him to state, "Questions. I'll answer them."

"Why are you doing this? You don't know me but you're planning all this to make Jace jealous but why. Are you trying to get something out of this?"

It took a while for him to reply, but she gave him his time before he answered her, "I have my reasons. I'll just say that I have my regrets to a situation similar to this and I couldn't help but feel like this was my opportunity to prove myself again." There was a look in his eyes that told a story of pain and sadness, a story that he wasn't going to tell her any time soon. "Also, I like games. Playing with blondie like this amuses me and maybe if it's to the point where we're really close," he leaned closer to her to whisper in her ear seductively, "we can have sex."

Clary pushed him away as far as she could from her, shocked at his words but also embarrassed by it. Raphael laughed as she tried to think of something to do but all she wanted to do was hide. "Are you embarrassed? Do you always get like this when someone wants to sleep with you," Raphael was smirking as he watched her reaction. Whatever that was on her face, it made him smile wider. "You've never slept with anyone have you?"

_Kill me, just strike me down now to get me out of this._ For some reason Clary decided to dive under her covers to hide herself from Raphael's view. It seemed childish but she didn't know what else to do. She was dreading her question, _I should've asked what his favorite color was._

"Get out from under there," the bed shifted as he lay next to her, his head propped on his hand.

"No."

"_Hermosa."_ His voice was playful and she caved in; dragging down the covers so that her eyes were the only thing in his view, Clary stared at Raphael. There was a mood, definitely a mood as they just looked at each other, but then his smile became warm and he muttered, "Cute." She glared at the word but he seemed to not notice as he grabbed the covers and dragged them off her face.

"I'm not having sex with you," she choked out.

"It could happen. You never know."

"I don't want to know."

"Are you sure?" Raphael asked her and pulled her closer to his body. And for some unknown reason, she let him. The feeling of his body was something Clary liked a lot, it was nice. "It could really onto the jealousy act if he figured out that we slept with each other."

"I rather not tell Jace about stuff like that."

"So you're not denying to sleeping with me then," she rolled her eyes at him.

"Didn't I just say we don't know each other, you're talking like I'll sleep with you just because you're... you." The thought of sleeping with Raphael was not on her priority list, she wasn't that type of person at all; being a virgin wasn't a problem but it was scary to think about losing it.

"Then let's get to know each other, we have all the time," Raphael looked down at her and she couldn't help but nod. "Ask away."

"Why'd you leave me on read."

"Uh- what are you..."

"Remember, a couple days ago I texted you and you left me on read. Why do you have to be that type of guy?" The question must've caught him off guard because he was having trouble answering.

"I was busy and forgot to reply back." He finally answered and she nodded.

"So you _are _that type of asshole."

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**Sorry if this is a bit messy, hopefully I can get back into my flow but I'll update soon when I get the chance. This time it won't be a whole month before i update (I won't make promises). thank you for reading.**

**Stay safe out there, wash your hands, and be happy!**


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